Tennessee halted Tony Carruthers’ execution after officials failed to set a required backup IV line. Gov. Bill Lee granted a one-year reprieve as his lawyer described a painful scene.

Executioners in Tennessee have been unable to find a vein for a death row inmate and his execution has been stopped for now, his attorneys tell The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network.

In the petition, Carruthers' attorneys argue that the reason he was sentenced to death was because a medical examiner testified the victims were buried alive, going into excruciating detail for the ju...